Warner Bros, via Game Informer magazine in the States, has announced the third game in its Batman: Arkham franchise and it's coming sooner than many people thought.

Scheduled for release on 25 October this year, Batman: Arkham Origins will be a prequel to both its predecessors, featuring a young Batman in the Arkham universe, going up against many of his most infamous foes for the very first time.

It is currently planned for release on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC, but there has been no mention of the next-generation consoles as yet. It is not known, therefore, whether versions of the game are planned for teh PS4 or the Xbox 720, although we might know more once the latter machine has been revealed some time in May (as is popularly thought).

Unlike the first two titles, this chapter in the series is not being developed by UK-based Rocksteady Studios. Instead, Warner Bros Games Montreal is handling the development duties in Canada, something it describes as "standing on the shoulders of giants".

Heading up the team is self-confessed comic book fan Eric Holmes, who was also lead designer on The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Prototype, two superhero games which have been critically well-received. We hope that bodes well.

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.